D&D General did giants ever get the spotlight?

[Nefermandias]

I think one (possibly minor) issue might be that the entry level hill giants are really just beefed up ogres. Then the next level of giants are stone giants, which I really quite like, but being dour and neutral is basically their thing, so they are not very exciting.
By the time you can deal with frost giants in groups, you're already playing in the big league, where the overall number of PCs is getting more scarce.

I think basically, giants might just be too big and powerful. Just like dragons and beholders. Look cool on paper, but impractical as opponents in most games.

Then do what Christopher Perkins did with SKT: Bring the giants in earlier and watch your players naughty word themselves while one or two of them gets their skulls smashed because they have understimated the threat.

You know, it's good to have the PCs on the run once in a while. People coming from the later editions have this weird idea that everything on their path should be a balanced encounter supposed to be won by rolling initiative and hitting things with their weapons and fancy feats and spells.

 

[Yora]

Having a lone giant in a fully optional cave is entirely an option for creating adventure content. But that wouldn't really be a giant-focused campaign then.

 

[Nefermandias]

Having a lone giant in a fully optional cave is entirely an option for creating adventure content. But that wouldn't really be a giant-focused campaign then.

Sorry, I don't follow.

 

[Mind of tempest]

IDK, I think earth does have a "dumb" connotation for some. But IDK if they are even treated as "dumb" in the lore (in 4e).

I associate earth with either great physical ability and being able to work and get on with everyone or being deep and wise.

 

[Yora]

Not sure where you are coming

Sorry, I don't follow.

I interpreted this topic as a call for giant society to be a major (or at least mid-range) player in the game world.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I interpreted this topic as a call for giant society to be a major (or at least mid-range) player in the game world.

more or less or have one setting that does that.

 

[jmartkdr2]

That's right! I'm flabbergasted with all the posters here saying there aren't any official material where giants are featured prominently.

OP specified that Storm King's Thunder doesn't count as "featuring" giants, so unless there's a book that spends more time on giants than that, the answer to OP's question is no.

 

[the Jester]

one adventure is not the same as great place in setting plus it was only once.

It really wasn't.

On top of a number of excellent giant focused adventures in Dungeon Magazine, you had G1 through G3; Revenge of the Giants; Storm King's Thunder; and any number of adventures that, while not focused on giants, definitely used a giant as a major npc or bad guy (Ghost Tower of Inverness, some Undermountain content, etc) or that used elements of giant culture, which can help you flesh out details (Skytumble Tor from I13, for instance, features an old cloud castle built by giants).

To add to that, there's a huge section on giants and their lore in Volo's Guide to Monsters.

And then there was 4e, which expanded, changed, and revised the lore surrounding everything. Giants were a big focus of 4e's lore and tied tightly to the whole "gods vs. primordials" theme that ran through the edition.

There's really quite a lot of lore about giants in D&D. You just need to find the sources for it.

 

[Nefermandias]

OP specified that Storm King's Thunder doesn't count as "featuring" giants, so unless there's a book that spends more time on giants than that, the answer to OP's question is no.

That's why myself and others here have listed quite a few books on the subject.

 

[dave2008]

I associate earth with either great physical ability and being able to work and get on with everyone or being deep and wise.

That's reasonable, but some associate it with stubbornness, brutish behavior, and dim wits. Neither is true of course, it is just different perspectives. There is nothing inherit to earth that has anything to do with wisdom or intellect.